Theft-proof television swivel



Dec. 11 1962 B; PoPown'z 3,067,976

THEFT-PROOF TELEVISION SWIVEL Filed Aug. 1, 1961 FIG! INVENTOR. BRUNO POPOWITZ.

ATTORNEY.

nited States atent 3,657,976 Patented Dec. 11, 1962 iice 3,067,976 THEFT-PRODF TELEVISION SWIVEL Bruno Popowitz, Detroit, Mich, assignor to Robinson Furniture Company, Detroit, l ch., a corporation of Michigan Filed Aug. 1, 1961, Ser. No. 128,401 7 Claims. (Cl. 248349) This invention relates to a theft-proof television swivel and more particularly to a swivel mounting for television receivers, or the like, of such construction as to prevent an unauthorized removal.

Heretofore, and this is particularly true in motels and in some hotels, smaller sized television sets are so attractive that they are oftentimes carried off by the guests.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide a theft-proof television swivel mounting for a television set, or like instrument, and wherein the means which fasten the television receiver to the swivel are practically inaccessible except on the application of a special type spanner wrench in the possession of the motel operator or service man.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a novel form of swivel mounting for a television set by which the television set or like device may be mounted and secured upon the flat top support of a piece of furniture within a hotel or motel room, and which once assembled may not be removed without the application of special tools, normally not available to the average traveler.

It is the further object of the present invention to provide a simplified swivel mounting for a television receiver, or instrument of like character, such as a radio or the like, wherein the swivel assembly incorporates a disc-like nut, located upon the undersurface of the swivel support and which when threaded down over a securing bolt projected up through the top support of the piece of furniture, is of such limited height as to prevent normal manual access to the means which fasten the swivel support to the television receiver.

These and other objects will be seen from the following specification and claim in conjunction with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the present theft-proof television swivel.

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1, illustrating the television receiver in phantom lines and fragmentarily illustrating the flat top support of a piece of furniture, the said FIG. 1, being also a section taken on line 1-1 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the special type of spanner wrench required for tightening or loosening the disc-like nut for the swivel mechanism.

It will be understood that the above drawing illustrates merely a preferred embodiment of the invention and that other embodiments are contemplated within the scope of the claims hereafter set forth.

Referring to the drawing, the present theft-proof swivel includes a base plate 11 of general rectangular form, though it may be circular and is preferably constructed of wood, for illustration, but not excluding other material such as metal.

A transverse bore 12 is formed through base plate 11, and upon one side of said plate terminates in the enlarged counterbore 13 within which is loosely nested disc 14 centrally apertured at 15.

Sleeve 16 is loosely positioned through the bore 12, and at one outer edge is peripherally or otherwise fixedly secured to the disc 14 as by the welds 17. Disc 14 is also loosely positioned within the counterbore 13; and the swivel assembly .is completed by the application to the undersurface of the base plate 11 of the disc-shaped nut 18, which abuts the outer end portion of the sieeve 16 and is also fixedly secured thereto in any suitable fashion such as by the Welds 20.

At the same time the nut 18 loosely engages the undersurface of the base plate 11 so that in effect the said base plate 11 is loosely mounted as indicated at 21 with respect to the swivel assembly, including the sleeve 16, disc 14 and the nut 18.

A series of equally spaced radial notches 22 are formed in the peripheral edge of the nut 18 for cooperative registry with the projection 34 at the end of the arm 32 of the spanner wrench 31, whose inner curvature as at 33 substantially corresponds to the outer curvature of the nut 18 for operation in a manner hereafter described.

A series of bores 23 are formed partly through the base plate 11, as best shown in FIG. 2, terminating in the reduced counterboresfor cooperatively receiving the series of individual fasteners 24, which are adapted to project up through portions of the base plate 11 so as to threadedly or otherwise be secured to the television receiver, shown in phantom lines, and indicated by the letter T.

In the construction of the present television swivel, the

swivel mechanism, including the sleeve 16, disc 14', and

the nut 18, are assembled and loosely secured with respect to the base plate 11; as a second step, the base plate 11 is fixedly secured in any suitable fashion such as by fasteners 24, to the undersurface of the television receiver or other instrument, as for example, a radio or the like.

After the television swivel assembly has been mounted and secured in place using a suitable screw driver, or other means, using equivalent fastening mechanism, as the case may be, then the television set with associated swivel mounting, is ready for assembly.

For this purpose, and for the mounting of the said television and its swivel upon a piece of furniture, all that is required is that the furniture 25 have a fiat top supporting surface, which is the surface 26, fragmentarily shown in FIG. 2, and being provided with a bore 27 therethrough.

The headed bolt 28 has a polygonal portion 29 thereunder which is forcefully and fixedly projected up into the undersurface portion of the bore 27 so as to normally be retained against rotation, and includes the threaded shank 30, which extends up through the said bore 27 and above the support 26.

As the next step in the assembly, the combination television receiver and base plate 11, with associated swivel assembly, is loosely rotated so that the threaded aperture 19 of the nut 18 cooperatively receives the threaded portion of the nut 30 with rotation continuing until said nut 18 bears against the top surface of the support 26.

The securing of the nut 18 against the top surface of the support 26 and with respect to the bolt 23 is completed by the application of the spanner type of wrench 3132, shown in FIG. 3. This wrench is, of course, thin and is projected loosely Within the space between the undersurface of the base plate 11 and the support 26, so that its arcuate inner surface 33 cooperatively bears against the outer arcuate surface of the nut 18. At the same time the projection 34 is nested within one of the notches 22 formed in the said nut and by a rotary movement as for example in a clockwise direction looking downwardly with respect to FIG. 1, the nut 18 is tightened with respect to the bolt 28 so as to grip the support 26.

Accordingly, a means is provided by which the television swivel assembly may be fixedly secured to the support surface 26 of the piece of furniture 25, and at the same time the base plate 11 connected with the television receiver, is free for rotation with respect to the sleeve 16, associated disc 14 and the disc-like nut 18.

By this construction it is apparent that in view of the limited and reduced height for the disc-like nut 13, the base plate 11 is so close to the support 26 as to positively preclude manual application or access to the fasteners 24 with the result that it is impossible to remove the television receiver from its swivel mounting or from the support 26 of the furniture. The only means by which this can be achieved is the application of a special type of spanner wrench, such as is shown in FIG. 3, normally not in the possession of the usual traveler at a motel, for example.

Of course, with the application of this wrench, it is a relatively simple matter to apply the wrench in a proper respect so as to rotatively loosen the nut 13, as desired, after which the entire television and swivel assembly may be removed by mere rotation relative to the stationary bolt 28.

It is noted that an aperture 15 is provided through the disc 14, which, as far as FIG. 3 is concerned, performs no function. It is contemplated, however, that under certain circumstances the top support 26 may be of such thickness that in tightening the nut down, the shank 3% will project towards or past the disc 14. Accordingly, under such circumstances, the aperture 15 provides a clearance therefore.

Having described my invention, reference should now be had to the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a piece of furniture having a fiat top support, an upright bolt projected up through the undersurface of said support and thereabove; a theft-proof television swivel comprising a base plate adapted to supportably receive a television receiver; means extending through the plate adapted for securing it to said receiver, said plate having a central bore and counter bore; a sleeve loosely positioned through said bore; a disc of increased diameter loosely positioned in said counter bore and secured to said sleeve; a centrally apertured interiorly threaded disc-shaped nut loosely bearing against the undersurface of said plate and fixedly secured to said sleeve, said nut threaded down over said bolt and adapted to be tightened against said support; said nut having a series of spaced peripheral notches therein for retaining registry with a spanner wrench for tightening and loosening said nut.

2. The combination of claim 1; the nut being of such limited height as to preclude normal manual access to the means for securing said base plate to said receiver except on application of said spanner wrench.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein the means extending through the plate for securing it to the receiver comprises screws threaded upwardly through the plate and into the receiver.

4. The combination of claim 2 wherein the means extending through the plate for securing it to the receiver comprises screws threaded upwardly through the plate and into the receiver.

5. The combination of claim 1 wherein the nut is of greater diameter than the sleeve.

6. The combination of claim 2 wherein the nut is of greater diameter than the sleeve.

7. The combination of claim 1 wherein the means extending through the plate for securing to the receiver comprises screws threaded upwardly through the plate and into the receiver and wherein the nut is of greater diameter than the sleeve.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 58,313 Soumeillian Sept. 25, 1866 1,199,063 Fleich Sept. 26, 1916 1,859,352 Albee May 24, 1932 2,808,223 Abeles Oct. 1, 1957 2,935,288 Summerer May 3, 1960 

